Fire Equipment Auction-CNP grabs the dollars

Well what does obsolete Fire Equipment sell for, you know the stuff that is well past it's prime no value to our community, to costly to get certified, not adequate for fire fighting needs etc, etc. If you don't have a good reason for getting rid of the stuff the politicians or the administrators will find one.
So surprisingly (My source at the auction) tells me that the majority of the equipment was purchased by "Fire Departments"?.
Ladder Truck went for $5,500
Hillcrest Fire Truck (Pumper) $12,000
Coleman Tanker Truck $30,000
Coleman Suburban $4,500
Coleman support truck $6,500
Hillcrest Suburban $800
Pick up trucks for anywhere between $300-1,200

If it wasn't for the Coleman Tanker this would have been a complete disaster for the municipality.
Even if next council choices to stay with three Fire Halls why would you have not kept the Hillcrest Fire Truck has a spare that $12,000 will pay the salaries of our bloated administration for 2.8 days  

Note: Keep in mind one very important number $4325

A victory for the taxpayers of the Crowsnest Pass, standing up and making a difference.

Finally 2500 names on a petition, taxpayers standing up all over the Crowsnest Pass is making a difference. 

One of the most controversial methods of picking the tax payers pockets next year was going to be a $336,000 increase to the amount of Franchise Fees that we the residents of the Crowsnest Pass have no choice to pay unless you can live without Gas or Power. Even when the Municipality presented their “Fact Sheet” at an approximate cost of $10,000 in the local media back in November, they had the Franchise Fees rising from 20% to 35% for gas and from 14% to 20% for power. This on top of the fact that the revenue being generated by these Franchise Fees had already jumped from $295,000 in 2010 to $570,000 in 2012, the further increases would have taken that number to $907,000 next year.

To my shock the “Facts” have changed up on opening the local paper last night, I see that the Municipality is now advertising the Franchise Fees are only increasing from 20% to 25% for gas and from 14% to 16% for power. This means instead of the Franchise Fee Revenue jumping from $295,000 in 2010 to $907,000 in 2013 it will only jump to $682,000 next year an increase of  231% in three years instead of the 308% previously proposed. I know we should not be dancing in the streets over this but it is a partial victory in that $225,000 less will be taken out of our pockets next year.

On top of that at last week’s G+P meeting the CAO clarified that there will be, has the Mayor stated in his last newsletter a $500,000 savings in the Fire Departments. This savings will come about by them not taking that money and purchasing the much-discussed Quint Ladder Truck. Now I know some people may look at this skeptically and think games are being played with numbers here, somebody said to me yesterday so if I propose to buy a $150,000 Hummer that I don’t need then I come to my senses and back off on buying it did I really save $150,000?

Two things here first of all Council/administration are going to look heroes here with the 2012 budget, $250,000 not spent on the Quint this year, $600,000 not spent on demolishing the Crowsnest Centre and all the savings they have incurred by not filling various positions in a timely fashion. (We will talk about this more in a future post)

Second, do I think this would have happened without the petition without people finally speaking up? Not a chance.

You would almost think Municipal  Affairs was coming in to do an investigation!